Slovakia Population: 5,445,802

Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.

conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska republika local short form: Slovensko etymology: related to the Slavic autonym (self-designation) "Slovenin," a derivation from "slovo" (word), denoting "people who speak (the same language)" (i.e., people who understand each other)

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Constitution:

history: several previous (preindependence); latest passed by the National Council 1 September 1992, signed 3 September 1992, effective 1 October 1992 amendments: proposed by the National Council; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of Council members; amended many times, last in 2015 (2016)

Legal system:

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; note - legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held in 2 rounds on 15 and 29 March 2014 (next to be held in March 2019); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president

highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of the court president, vice president, and 84 judges organized into criminal, civil, commercial, and administrative divisions with 3- and 5-judge panels); Constitutional Court (consists of 13 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judge candidates proposed by the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, a 17-member independent body to include the Supreme Court chief justice and presidential and governmental appointees; judges appointed by the president for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Council of the Republic and appointed by the president; judges appointed for 12-year terms

subordinate courts: regional and district civil courts; Higher Military Court; military district courts; Court of Audit

Political parties and leaders:

parties in the Parliament: Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO] Bridge or Most-Hid [Bela BUGAR] Freedom and Solidarity or SaS [Richard SULIK] Network or Siet [Radoslav PROCHAZKA] Ordinary People and Independent Personalities - New Majority or OLaNO-NOVA [Igor MATOVIC] People's Party - Our Slovakia or LSNS [Marian KOTLEBA] Slovak National Party or SNS [Andrej DANKO] We Are Family or SME-Rodina [Boris KOLLAR] selected parties outside the Parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Jan FIGEL] JUMP! or SKOK! [Juraj MISKOV] Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Jozsef BERENYI] Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party or SDKU-DS [Pavol FRESO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Alliance of Companies Employing 500 or More Employees or Klub500 Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic or AZZZ Medical Trade Association or LOZ National Union of Employers or RUZ Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry or SOPK The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS

Slovakia has made significant economic reforms since its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993. With a population of 5.4 million, the Slovak Republic has a small, open economy, with exports, at about 93% of GDP, serving as the main driver of GDP growth. Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 and the euro zone in 2009. The country’s banking sector is sound. Slovakia has led the region garnering FDI, because of its relatively low-cost, highly-skilled labor force, reasonable tax rates, and favorable geographic location in the heart of Central Europe. However, recent increases in corporate taxes, as well as changes to the Labor Code, slow dispute resolution, and ongoing corruption potentially threaten the attractiveness of the Slovak market. Moreover, the energy sector is characterized by high costs, unpredictable regulatory oversight, and growing government interference.

note: data cover general Government Gross Debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by Government entities, including sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government, and social security funds

general assessment: a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth of cellular services

domestic: analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services

international: country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services (2011)

Broadcast media:

state-owned public broadcaster, Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), operates 2 national TV stations and multiple national and regional radio networks; roughly 50 privately owned TV stations operating nationally, regionally, and locally; about 40% of (2016)

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

stateless persons: 1,523 (2015)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market; consumer of ecstasy